The present invention relates to an intelligent computer assisted learning system and an adaptive problem solving method in which blocks of knowledge (referred to as "Knowledge Entities", herein-below) are transferred from the system (referred to as the "Knowledge Provider", herein-below) to the learner (referred as the "Knowledge Consumer", herein-below).
The rapid advances made by computers and in related fields, such as, Object Oriented Methodology, Artificial Intelligence, and the Event Driven Systems have provided a great opportunity to utilize these devices in the areas of education and training in homes, schools, and corporations.
The Related Art, often referred to as Computer Aided Instruction Systems, is classified into three configuration types, namely, 1) center system, 2) network system, and 3) stand-alone system.
1) At the heart of a center system is a host computer which stores the learning material and has total control. The Knowledge Consumer accesses this material via a terminal or a personal computer connected to the host computer. PA1 2) In a network system (a host computer may, or may not be present), the control resides with the computers connected to the network. The learning material may be stored by the host computer (if this exists) or on a specialized system called a server. PA1 3) For a stand-alone system everything is self-contained within that system, including the teaching material and the control. The Knowledge Consumer interacts directly with the system by different input-output devices attached directly to the system.
The above configurations of the Computer Aided Instruction Systems have been described in more detail by Haga et al. in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,563, dated May 18, 1993.
The present invention is a stand-alone system belonging to the third category noted above.